Despite my eagerness to dive into "Storm Child," the latest installment in Michael Robotham's captivating "Cyrus Haven" series, I found myself unable to fully engage with the story. As a dedicated fan of the series, I had high hopes for this novel, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. Despite the author's skillful writing and the intriguing premise, I struggled to connect with the characters and the plot. While I appreciate the effort that went into crafting this installment, it simply didn't resonate with me as much as previous entries in the series.

It's a 5 star score from me! Having read all the previous Cyrus Haven series it was great to get some answers to Evie's secrets.
I would recommend reading the series in order but would add that I would recommend you read every one then read all the other Michael Robotham novels. Brilliant!
I just reviewed Storm Child by Michael Robotham. #StormChild #NetGalley
https://www.netgalley.co.uk/book/332034/review/1105939

Storm Child is book 4 featuring Evie Cormac & psychologist Cyrus Haven, There is a bit of a back story recap in it but if you haven't read any of the others, I feel you would benefit reading the previous books first to get the most from it.
I enjoyed learning more of Evie's story now that she is slowly adjusting to her safe life with the help of Cyrus but the story wasn't as gripping as the previous ones & it had a air of finality to it, so it might be the end of the road for this couple, hopefully not though, time will tell.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed this latest outing with Cyrus and Evie. I highly recommend this whole series. Now the hardest part is waiting for the next installment. Highly recommend

This book was highly character driven and you had to be familiar with the lead characters of this series to really appreciate it. I did enjoy that aspect of Cyrus and Evie's character development, delving into them more deeply was, for me, the most interesting part of the book.

The main plot was neither here nor there. It felt flat, like it had been shoe horned in around Evie"s history, but it seemed to lack something. Emotion? Realism? Depth? I can't put my finger on it. I just know that when the focus turned to the plot, I started to lose interest.

This is the book I have been waiting for since I first heard the name Evie Cormac, we were finally going to get some answers. I should say now that I don't recommend this book as a standalone. It is no 4 in a series and has little to no flashbacks to the other books. I would however say that the series is well worth a read. This book had everything I expected. There was page upon page of tension, lots of pathos and even a bit of romance. So why have I been left wanting more? I think it was the epilogue. Unless there is going to be a massive plot twist right at the end I think epilogues are a bit of a cheat. It's as if the author has decided the book is long enough so we'll just sum everything up in one chapter and call it the epilogue. Half a dozen more chapters would have made all the difference. So, no 5 stars.

Cyrus and Evie return in their fourth outing with Storm Child. This is a series I feel that you cannot just jump in anywhere and start the series. To appreciate the full back story of both characters you must start at book one. The basis of the series is that Evie was discovered hiding in the walls of a house where a terrible crime had occurred. She was starving and filthy and seemed to be around 12 years of age, forward six years later and she is insisting she be released from a children’s home and be able to live on her own. This is where Cyrus is called in, as a forensic psychologist he must determine whether she can live on her own. Evie is like no one he has ever met, fascinating, unpredictable and also dangerous. She can also tell with 100% accuracy if anyone is lying.
So Storm Child, Evie is now living with Cyrus so he can keep an eye on her
While at the beach one day they witness bodies wash up on the shore. They appear to be refugees. The sight of them sends Evie into a breakdown and she becomes withdrawn and uncommunicative. This has brought back memories of her own harrowing journey in similar circumstances. Now both Cyrus and Evie want to find out who is responsible for the death of these people and who was responsible for what happened to Evie and the death of her family.
As the story unfolds we learn more about Evie’s background as does Cyrus to whom Evie has been a closed book.
Like all this authors books it is a page turning, well written tale.

#StormChild. #NetGalley

Another excellent installment from Robotham, Evie is one of his best characters, and to get more info on her fragmented backstory is fascinating.

Thanks to Michael and NetGalley for allowing me to read Storm Child before the publication date.
This is the 4th book in the Cyrus Haven series and it keeps the momentum going, making it a real page turner.
As a teenager, Evie Cormac was fostered by forensic psychologist, Cyrus Haven.
Now 23, Evie continues to live in Cyrus’ home and the dynamics within the household are changing.

A visit to the seaside town of Cleethorpes turns into a nightmare when bodies are washed up onto the beach,
the experience sending Evie into a catatonic state.
Only Arben, a teenage boy, is saved. The details which he provides lead Cyrus to investigate, placing them in danger.

There are many twists, turns and red herrings which lead the reader in one direction only to find that there is more to the story than could ever have been expected.

In the story, Michael has presented several perspectives on the topical subject of illegal migration and he doesn’t pull any punches.
One of the characters poses a thought-provoking point about the value of philanthropy.

Book 4 in the Cyrus Haven series (I had only read book 3 previously) and here we are set in the world of people trafficking, the topic of migration and modern slavery.

It’s a dark tale and a very current topic, played out in England and Scotland and of course on the seas.

I’ve read many Robotham books in the past and enjoyed them all. He is an excellent storyteller and here again he weaves a believable and human story that still manages to be extremely dark.

A strong ending was the cherry on the cake. I’m going to pick up book 1 and 2 and in fact make book 1 my next read.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily
Every book in this series has been a five star read for me, so did book four live up to the expectation? Hell yeah! This is another cracking instalment from Michael Robotham. The interaction between Cyrus and Evie is as brilliant as ever and bang on point. The author has chosen the debatable and controversial subject of migrant crossings as his setting for this story, however whatever the readers views are on this it amazingly doesn’t interfere with the enjoyment of the book. What I loved most though was learning more of the background of the wonderful yet broken Evie and her entire story through the first three books has finally been resolved. Great pace to the book and well plotted and a lovely emotional ending that just finished everything off nicely. A solid storyline that delivered on every level. More please Michael!

Cyrus continues to intrigue me and this book certainly tests him in new ways. This book is really full on with a lot of action and many, many very upsetting themes which are all too current. I feel this book shines a light on issues from which many wish to turn their heads away, and bravo for doing that. This author knows how to tell a horror story which relies solely on human nature for its horror and he has hit the mark once again.

It was great to learn more about Evie’s history, and in so doing also learn more about the nature of trauma and suppressed memories. Nice to see some references to Robotham’s characters in other books, too, making this part of a wider experience.

Without wishing to spoil anything, thank you, Michael Robotham, for not bringing a romantic element to the relationship. This would absolutely spoil it, for me anyway, and to stay true to the beautiful relationship and characters you have created is wonderful.

I have really enjoyed the other books I have read by Michael Robotham and this one was no different, it had me gripped.

The Cyrus Haven series is one of my favourites and I love the main characters. I would caution people that there is a lot of talk about child abuse in this series.
I enjoyed learning more about Evie and where she came from. This novel focused heavily on human trafficking and plays into Evie's backstory so I feel like it is setting it up for future plots.
Highly recommend

Storm Child by Michael Robotham is book 4 in the Cyrus Haven series. Cyrus, a forensic psychologist, and Evie, a girl with a tragic past, are having a break by the sea in Lincolnshire when bodies start floating in to shore. The boat has capsized as it made its way from France to England with illegal immigrants on board. Cyrus tries to save some of them. Cyrus, finding out that the refugee boat was rammed, ends up helping the police with the investigation. There are whispers about someone called the Ferryman, who controls the illegal boats. Michael has a wonderful way with words and is such a consistently great writer. You are swept along, and wherever the story is, you are there right in the middle of it. You also feel the horror of what is happening, and has happened, with the illegals and the lives that are affected by this. I really like Evie, although she is still a bit of a mystery, but we do find out quite a bit more about her and the traumatic events of her childhood as these events gradually come to the surface. She is very much her own person. Cyrus is a great character too, a gentle, calm and considered person, particularly with Evie. This is a book that will stay with me, and I also found it emotional at times. Thank you to Netgalley, Little Brown Book group and the author for the advanced copy of the book.

Took a little while to get into this, but once I did I stormed through it!
Love this series and it was good to explore Evie's history that she's intentionally forced herself to forget. Michael Robotham managed to incorporate real life issues and ideas about asylum seekers, those fleeing conflict, etc, but worked it really well in to the story.

My Rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ love this series even when its a bit OTT and wild!!

Some memories are buried for a reason… The most painful of Evie Cormac’s memories have been locked away, ever since she was held a prisoner as a child - a child whose rescue captured hearts and headlines.

Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven’s mission is to guide her to something near normality. But today, on a Lincolnshire beach, seventeen bodies wash up in front of them. There is only one survivor, with two women missing. And Evie’s nightmares come roaring back…

Whatever happened all those years ago lies at the core of this new tragedy. Because these deaths are no accident. The same dark forces are reaching out, dragging her back into the storm. Evie must now call upon Cyrus’s unique skills, and her own, in their search for the missing pieces of this complex and haunting puzzle.

But will that be enough to save them?
And who will pay for the past?

Ok first up…. I have been a fan of this series from the start, way back when Evie was Angel Face… and if you too have been a fan waiting for this book I think you will like it. If you are new here… and you haven’t read the books prior … this might be a bit meh… or a bit confusing.. there is a long story at play here and I do recommend reading from the start.

Having said that I did have some issues with this book…. BUT as a fan I overlooked almost all of them because I love this series… so take that as you will because if you read it and go WTF KARLY WHY 4 STARS… well… you were warned.

Now… I couldn’t put this down, its been ages since I’ve read a book that I kept thinking about while I was at work and couldn’t wait to get back to it. Its easy to read, told from Cyrus and Evie’s POV alternatively throughout which I love. I liked hearing this story play out in the interactions and inner monologues of both Cyrus and Evie. I felt that Cyrus was a little less of a know it all asshole in this book… Evie of course was not but thats all part of her charm… or lack thereof.

I think Michael Robotham skirted the edges of “woke” really well.. he mentioned a few things here and there that I thought were done really well… and it enhanced rather than took away from the story. I also did like the secondary characters but I missed Lenny… she is one of my favourites.

This is a pretty far fetched tale… there are a lot of things that happen where if you don’t suspend your disbelief you will be rolling you eyes until you are dizzy… but knowing that up front I was all fine with it.. I threw it out the window and lent hard into this one. There are some plot holes… when I was thinking back I was like what happened to… or what about… but again… I don’t actually care … I read it and loved it… I will definitely be reading the next one.

I really liked the ending I thought it was a really nice way to find out more information that we have been waiting for since book 1 and I really enjoyed that. I think Cyrus and Evie’s relationship is questionable but I think they too skirt the edges of what is appropriate and honestly… I am not going to complain about it because as I said I love this series and I don’t mind.

I did knock one star off just because it did get a little toooo far fetched in places and I thought 5 stars was super generous but I enjoyed it… I was so excited when I got approved by NetGalley that I abandoned what I was reading immediately and dove into it head first.

Overall, if you love this author or this series… definitely read it. If you haven’t the first idea about either then read the synopsis and some other reviews first. If you like mysteries where you need to throw your disbelief into the sea then again pick this up.. however I don’t recommend starting part way through I highly recommend starting at the start… book 1 and 2 were also by far my fave in this series so far. Although this was close behind it…

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Storm Child is the 4th book in Michael Robotham's Cyrus and Evie series,and one of the best books he's written.
A trip to a Lincolnshire Beach turns into a tragedy as several bodies are washed up on the beach ,while others are shocked Evie becomes almost catatonic as the sight triggers events from her own life,events she'd blocked out from a past that Cyrus ,in his role as forensic psychologist, had largely failed to prise from her memory.
With Evie now slowly remembering her early life it becomes obvious that events on the beach and the traumatic events from her past that she'd blocked out are linked.
This is a hard-hitting tale involving people-trafficking and exploitation, ruined lives and human beings being used as commodities.
Cyrus and Evie become much more rounded and self-aware characters in this book and as ever their "it's complicated" relationship is a big part of the story. Much of Evie's back-story is unearthed here but regular readers of the series will know that there is more to be revealed. With that and the introduction of some interesting new characters I can't wait for the next one.

I’ll be the first to admit it took me a while to settle with the Cyrus and Evie series, the first two books had such a strong focus on the backstories of our lead characters. The third book brought things together very nicely and I was very eager to read this.

WOW! Storm Child is a modern masterpiece.

Opening with a day at the beach, which ends in tragedy as bodies start washing up on the beach. Cyrus’s compulsion to care for the sole survivor and investigate the people trafficking operation that brought him to England will drag Evie back into painful memories of her own journey.

The balance of progression on the ongoing case with Evie’s story is just perfect, it steadily builds to a very powerful and thrilling finale and sets up for the continuation of this series exquisitely.

As deep, dark and stormy as the North Sea this is truly compelling crime writing, building on the already wonderfully developed characters of Cyrus and Evie. This is an essential book in what is now an epic series.

Definitely recommended, definitely best read in order from Book 1, Good Girl, Bad Girl.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK